Updated for 2026: The Anker Clock remains one of central Vienna's easiest free sights to catch. Arrive a little before noon for the best view, especially in the busier travel months.
The Anker Clock is often called Vienna's "dancing clock" because every day at noon it stages a 15-minute show. Over that short performance, a procession of figures carries you through centuries of Austrian history.
At noon, all twelve figures glide past the dial, turning the clock into a compact history lesson. You will spot rulers, artists, and other well-known names from the past, including Charlemagne, Maria Theresa and her husband Francis Stephen of Lorraine, and the composer Joseph Haydn. Each figure is paired with its own melody. The hour is shown by the figure itself, while the minutes appear on the horizontal scale above the clock.
You will find the clock on Hoher Markt, in what is generally considered Vienna's oldest square. It spans the passage between two buildings at second-floor level, with the mechanism housed in the bridge-like structure above.
It was designed by artist and sculptor Franz von Matsch for the Anker Insurance Company, which is why it is also known as the Ankeruhr, or Anker Clock.
